Laugh, Cry, Blow Your Mind: Best Bits of 2010

With our iPods and DVRs maxed out and the cloud offering a never-ending stream of shiny new distractions, sniffing out the truly amazing bits can become a truly daunting task.

Here's what caught our eyes and ears as we dog-paddled through the data stream: the most entertaining moments of 2010, as recalled by Underwire's key contributors. Read on for our picks and share your own favorites in the comments below.

Above:

Hit Girl, the Bloodletting Pipsqueak

The most startling four minutes of filmdom in 2011 came courtesy of Chloe Moretz (above, center). Playing potty-mouthed, purple-haired Hit Girl, Moretz, then 11, entered a room full of bad guys in Kick-Ass and contributed a new chapter in the annals of funny violence heretofore dominated by Quentin Tarantino and his minions. As she earlier proved in 2009's (500) Days of Summer, Moretz possesses the rare gift of being able to make "precocious" seem charismatic rather than obnoxious.

What's next: Following her chilly vampire turn in Let Me In, the young star has eight projects in the hopper including a Kick-Ass: Balls to the Walls sequel. The challenge: Can 13-year-old Chloe Moretz transition from Hit Girl to It Teen? —Hugh Hart

Iron Man: Extremis

Iron Man 2 may have been 2010's favored Shellhead spawn of the movie-going public. But its lightweight version of the decades-old villain Whiplash (played by Mickey Rourke, doing time), was a trash-fab retread of Rocky IV's Ivan Drago, while its blow-dried bazillionaire Tony Stark (hammed with cheese by Robert Downey Jr.) spent the majority of the film drinking and moping over daddy.

Comics true-schoolers were within reach of a much meatier, and more cerebral, man-machine experience in Marvel's motion comic Iron Man: Extremis, written by Transmetropolitan brainiac Warren Ellis with vivid art from Adi Granov.

Extremis was based on the pair's six-issue arc that, in a nice bit of circularity, influenced the design and themes of the Iron Man film franchise in the first place. From its creepy carnage to its deep philosophy on nanotechnology, terrorism and the often-blind ambition of doom science, Iron Man: Extremis exhibited more gray matter in its first few minutes than Iron Man 2 did in its entirety.

While the motion-comic format didn't have all the bells and whistles of director Jon Favreau's full-on Hollywood blockbuster, it also didn't have virgin-bait Scarlett Johansson or the fair and balanced Bill O'Reilly. Instead, it possessed what comics-based films should have: Sick action, smart writing and a compelling if troubling story that can accommodate its high-powered characters.

What's next:Iron Man 3 arrives May 2013, but has no director now that Jon Favreau has departed for "something that lights a fire" in him. Which is to say, the Disneyland theme-park spinoff Magic Kingdom. —Scott Thill

Girl Talk Unleashes Another Free Album on the Net

It was probably a coincidence. Probably. The same week that Apple made its BFD announcement that The Beatles were finally going to be available on iTunes, Girl Talk released another free album on the internet: All Day. It was full of the usual magical mashup moments that Gregg Gillis is known for, and it'll probably fuel another crazy tour for the laptop maestro. Will it live on in your iTunes as long as The Beatles? Umm, dunno. Did it embody the of-the-moment immediacy that makes music great? Absolutely.

What's next: Girl Talk is going on tour. Who knows when he'll release another album, but let's hope Gillis has some great ideas about what to do with The Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's The Black Album. Oh, crap. Forget it. —Angela Watercutter

March of the Desktop Auteurs

Momentum continues to gather for the clever, self-taught computer wizards who love movies and spend hundreds of hours crafting a few minutes of eye-popping YouTube fodder to prove it. The fake trailers, DIY animations and short films with studio-quality visual effects dreamed up by these desktop auteurs don't take long to watch and, at their best, offer welcome respite from the chaff generated in the billions-uploaded universe.

What's next: When will the web spawn Hollywood's next major filmmaker? Jared Pitts' DIY sci-fi trailer "Technotise" caught the eye of an Avatar producer in 2010. But it's one thing to handcraft a mind-blowing 10-minute video from digital assets, and quite another to work with dozens of cinematic collaborators and sustain an entertaining vision over the course of two hours. One of the first viral-spawned projects belongs to Uruguayan Fede Alvarez, who's now busy turning his alien-invasion YouTube hit "Panic Attack" (below) into a feature for Sam Raimi and company. And —Hugh Hart

Grant Morrison Shines the Bat-Signal

The comics industry's hardest-working visionary — alongside Warren Ellis, of course — went fractal with Batman's bottomless mythology in 2010. In astoundingly ambitious and subversively clever series like Batman and Robin, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, Batman: The Return and Batman, Inc., Grant Morrison dragged his Zen billionaire across time and space in search of uncharted territory.

In the process, Morrison made DC Comics millions of dollars, and cemented his status — alongside Warren Ellis, of course — as the next comics-based brainiac, after the controversial Alan Moore, primed for Hollywood adaptation. Movies based on Morrison's comics would nicely complement Patrick Meaney's insightful 2010 documentary Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods).

That is, if Hollywood can step away from the Batman film franchise's fake realism and shoot for the fantastic fringe, where all things strange and cool reside before the mainstream co-opts them for blockbuster cash.

"I think we want fantasy again," Morrison told Wired.com in November after launching Batman, Inc.. "We want worlds we can get into. We want to be superheroes. I think the audience is ready for wilder stuff. But Hollywood is still mostly dealing in a conservative mindset."

What's next: Hollywood dips its toe into Morrison's challenging but rewarding work when the animated feature adaptation of his acclaimed miniseries All-Star Superman arrives in February. Although it's written by Justice League vet Dwayne MacDuffie, Morrison promised that the film is loyal to the spirit of his stunning comic.

"I wasn't upset, because I saw the movie and it's one of my top three superhero movies ever," he told Wired.com. "Only the superfans are going to complain, because the film has about 90 percent of my stuff in it. Much of it is actual dialog taken from the book." —Scott Thill

Unabashed IDAs (Internet Displays of Affection)

Why stare at a cat in a sweater or a cuddly baby when you can celebrate someone else's earnest declaration of love? A fresh cache of twee wedding videos, viral love letters and engagement stunts have entered the online psyche.

What's next: Wired.com can never be sure, but chances are this trend swings the other way. 2011 might see the rise of venomous video breakup letters and other acts of romantic vengeance like this nasty Netflix prank. —Allison Davis

Film Soundtracks as Hypnosis

Hans Zimmer, Trent Reznor and Daft Punk (above) gave the art and craft of movie soundtracks a significant kick in the ass this year with their propulsive scores for Inception, The Social Network and Tron: Legacy. Mixing electronic sources with orchestral voicings, the composers produced mesmerizing music that downplayed the triumphalist melodies that usually service blockbuster drama. Instead, old pro Zimmer, Nine Inch Nails vet Reznor and French dance wizards Daft Punk populated their churning soundscapes with weird, unworldly effects that meshed in dark concert with the on-screen visuals.

Pop Songstresses

Female-driven pop music seemed to meet its end when a newly shorn, umbrella-wielding Britney Spears went bat-shit crazy. But thank you, 2010, for the resurgence of female pop artists we love to hate and can't stop watching. From meat dresses to exploding brassieres and pseudo-drunk drunken speak-singing, this new generation is innovative and marginally talented. Lady Gaga (above), Katy Perry, Ke$ha and the rest, we tip our hats to you.

What's next: New albums and world tours. A meltdown or rehab stint is probable. —Allison Davis

Glee Continues Its Delightful Appropriation of Memes

Glee spent the better part of its first season creating television's ultimate cultural mashup: Take a little bit of Bring It On, add some Election, mix in some underdogs-done-good, add radio hits and some tropes from every sports or dance movie ever and ... voila! TV with something for (almost) everyone.

In the show's second season, creator Ryan Murphy and company have kept all the pop culture memes and added some internet ones as well. The entire underlying narrative of the much-hyped Britney Spears episode was that the New Directions glee club had Britney experiences while under their dentist's anesthesia. Sound familiar? Yep, "David After Dentist."

When Kurt married off his dad to Finn's mom, the glee-club kids walked them down the aisle singing Bruno Mars' "Marry You" in a style that was very, very "JK Wedding Entrance Dance." To be sure they didn't miss anything, show creators had Gwyneth Paltrow sing the internet-smashing "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green, and hired one of the guys (Darren Criss) behind the viral YouTube phenomenon known as "A Very Potter Musical."

Fringe's Freaky Genius

As junk-food-craving kook researcher Walter Bishop, actor John Noble articulates pitch-perfect delivery in Fringe while demonstrating blithe indifference to human tissue and a ridiculously encyclopedic knowledge of chemistry, physics and neuroscience. Criminally ignored by Emmy voters, Noble's Bishop calmly recites borderline-credible explanations for reanimation, implanted devices, cellular mutations, telepathic psychosis, shape-shifting and other anomalies while slicing into corpses that make their way into his laboratory. Sci-fi exposition has rarely been so entertaining.

What's next: Noble will likely be looking for a new yet-to-be-decided gig: Fringe has been consigned to Friday nights. The ratings-challenged series will have a tough time topping its fall "crossover" episodes in which time-traveling FBI agent Olivia Dunham (played by Anna Torv) body-doubled herself to an alternate version of Manhattan. From this couch, chances for a fourth-season renewal look slim. —Hugh Hart

Banksy in Exit Through the Gift Shop

Oh, Banksy. Was it not enough that you turned art-museum-hacking into selling-art-to-famous-people? You really had to go and turn being documented into making a documentary? OK, fine. You win. In all seriousness, Banksy's film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, was an excellent look into the real meaning of what "street art" is now. It was also a rare glimpse into how the elusive Banksy himself (allegedly) sees not only what art truly is, but how he sees the process of its creation.

The Reign of Oddball Comedy Community

The lovable weirdos that make up the cast of Community are constantly praised for their ability to straddle the line between pathos and parody. Once the writers stopped with "will Jeff and Brita or won't Jeff and Brita?" (who cares! More Abed and Troy!), a wacky Season 2 brought scenarios like being stuck in a KFC space-simulation capsule and discovering the meaning of Christmas through song and stop-motion animation. (And don't forget Community's Twittersode.)

What's next: The rest of the second season and then a third that's as strong as the second (fingers crossed), with reappearances of Troy's monkey, Annie's Boobs and that mysterious baby Abed delivered. —Allison Davis

Social Network's Icy Impersonator

Filmmaker David Fincher is famously neither warm nor cuddly when it comes to giving anything other than technical direction to his actors. Jesse Eisenberg, armed with Aaron Sorkin's withering dialogue, deserves most of the credit for his unsettling portrait of Facebook's icy co-founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.

Bordering on literal impersonation, Eisenberg, who studied Asperger's syndrome and changed his posture in preparation for the role, personified the isolation, arrogance and insecurities that come with being the smartest and most awkward guy in the room.

What's next: The 27-year-old Eisenberg ranks as one of the most seriously committed actors of his generation, whether he's channeling a lovelorn zombie slayer (Zombieland), a Hassidic drug smuggler (Holy Rollers) or an aimless carnie (Adventureland). In the wake of his likely Best Actor nomination, Eisenberg will be playing a small-time pizza delivery guy/robber in 30 Minutes or Less. —Hugh Hart

Sym-Bionic Titan's Sci-Fi Freak-Outs

Whoever thinks that animation isn't for adults doesn't realize the incontrovertible truth that adults have been watching, and creating, killer cartoons for all ages, for decades. This year, it was once again Genndy Tartakovsky's turn to shine, which he hasn't since his mind-blowing 2003 miniseries Star Wars: Clone Wars nearly outshone Revenge of the Sith. Tartakovsky's new mecha-based American anime Sym-Bionic Titan has become one of the best television shows of the year, capable of delivering riotous satire, butt-clenching horror and action-packed sci-fi. Sure, it takes place in a high school, but so does the American Idol reboot Glee, which has no problem recruiting freaks and geeks across demographics.

"Animation has always had the problem of being perceived as purely for kids," Tartakovsky told Wired.com in September before Sym-Bionic Titan's stellar launch. "I think things are better than a few years ago, but the stigma still exists."

For no good reason, given Titan's sci-fi, anime and mecha roots. Unlike Glee, Sym-Bionic Titan thankfully annihilates its high school, and everything surrounding it, whenever a fearsome new monster flies through a space rift to try and assassinate the show's interstellar refugees, Lance, Ilana and their shape-shifting robot Octus (the brilliantly restrained Brian Posehn).

What's next: Tartakovsky's hopeful that Sym-Bionic Titan will keep him busy. "Overall, I think everyone is pleased," Tartakovsky told Wired.com. "It is a very competitive and crowded market right now, and I think Titan has just begun to find a way to stand out from the crowd." —Scott Thill

Kanye West Joins Twitter, Launches G.O.O.D. Fridays

Twitter just wasn't ready for Kanye West. Not when he joined the service, and only barely when he showed up at the Twitter offices and started rapping. As with everything else West does, we learned to adapt and learned to love him anew.

At this point, mentioning the greatness of West's latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (above), is kind of pointless (everyone else already has), but remembering how it was born into the world is worth reflecting on. Not long after 'Ye joined Twitter, he launched a little something called "G.O.O.D. Fridays," a series of Friday internet leaks that not only gave us glimpses into future MBDTF tracks like "So Appalled" and "Devil in a New Dress" but also unleashed gems like a West/Raekwon/Justin Bieber collaboration.

Mashing genres and melting perspectives, Inception proved that cinema, sci-fi and otherwise, doesn't have to worship at the limiting "altar of the 18-to-25-year-old male and his penis," as the excellent Helen Mirren recently put it. Inception employed some heavy thematic coding, fluid possibility and less CGI than you would think, and still scored enough millions to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

It's a lesson Hollywood should learn, given how heavily it has leaned on Nolan for credibility. Take Inception out of any list of the most popular films of the year, and you have a wasteland of disposable moneymakers with little in the way of longevity. We'll know if Hollywood has been paying attention if Inception beats The Social Network for Best Picture.

What's next: Nolan heads back to Batman with The Dark Knight Rises before abdicating the director's chair and helping Zack Snyder make a live-action Superman movie that doesn't suck, a feat not accomplished since the '70s. —Scott Thill